Vikings make promotions in the front office

The Minnesota Vikings have made a plethora of changes to its front office this offseason.

George Paton’s departure this offseason left a hole in the front office. Paton, once the assistant general manager for the Vikings, was hired as the GM of the Broncos.

That has led to the front office being shaken up a bit. Both Ryan Monnens and Jamaal Stephenson earned promotions, the team announced Tuesday. They will both be Co-Directors of Player Personnel. Stephenson was the college scouting director before being promoted, while Monnens was the team’s pro scouting director.

Stephenson and Monnens weren’t the only ones to have title changes. Here are the other moves the Vikings announced:

  • Luke Burson — Senior Manager, Football Information Systems
  • Caroline DeFelice — Player Personnel Assistant
  • Jake Essler — College Scout
  • Mitch Johnson-Martin — College Scout/BLESTO
  • Chisom Opara — National Scout
  • Rob Roche — Assistant Head Athletic Trainer
  • Kaitlin Zarecki — Special Assistant to the General Manager & Player Development Manager

“We are proud to announce these changes within our player personnel and football operations staffs,” Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said in a statement. “Each of these individuals has worked extremely hard to earn their new opportunities, and the entire organization will benefit from the enhancements we’ve made.”

Earlier this offseason, Minnesota also lost Kelly Kleine to Denver’s front office. Kleine is now the Executive Director of Football Operations for the Broncos. After that move, the Vikings promoted three women in the front office.

Report: If Broncos hire him, Paton might bring Minnesota staff member with him

If the Denver Broncos hire Vikings assistant GM George Paton, he might bring another Minnesota staff member with him.

Minnesota’s assistant general manager George Paton just finished up his 14th season with the team. In the past, Paton has had opportunities to pursue other jobs, but he never ended up leaving the Vikings since he was hired.

According to one report, that could change this offseason. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, there is a belief that Paton could be more ready to make the move than in the past.

As reported by Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post, if the Broncos settle on Vikings assistant GM George Paton to be their new general manager, he might bring another Minnesota staff member with him: Vikings director of college scouting Jamaal Stephenson.

Stephenson has been with the Vikings longer than both Rick Spielman and Paton. O’Halloran also said that Stephenson would become Paton’s chief assistant.

Losing those two in an offseason where Minnesota has some important personnel decisions to make is less than ideal. The Vikings already will be lacking continuity on the coaching staff next season. That might be the case for the front office as well.